A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8617717 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 89319873 epoch_slot_no: 155073 block_no: 8617540 slot_leader_id: 7046709 size: 72570 time: 2023-04-07 16:49:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x42c0f8d31c814cb4348a992578d789878afa64289dcd19a3dcbc4436149e12cbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t2je7nrf6w7fp5gqvymrp5eswfnm67ahw75n762svyct57r54ukq8dkhag op_cert: \x54903e9be73315d6c53cad7c8dd93540febe3df3c673086e7de13667f9745b2b op_cert_counter: 1659973469